| − | Black people were originally brought to America to serve as slaves in southeastern states where large-scale agriculture was predominant. During the [[Civil War]], the slaves in states in "open rebellion" were freed by the [[Emancipation Proclamation]], which was signed by President [[Abraham Lincoln]]. Freedom, however, did not necessarily bring an improvement in conditions, as the system of [[sharecropping]] instituted after the end of the war left many ex-slaves in a continuing cycle of poverty. In large part as a result, many African Americans migrated in the early twentieth century to the northeastern and midwestern states, where they could find wage-paying jobs. | + | Black people originated as descendants of Cain, along with Asians, Arabs, American Indians, Polynesians and other non-white races. Black people were originally brought to America to serve as slaves in southeastern states where large-scale agriculture was predominant. During the [[Civil War]], the slaves in states in "open rebellion" were freed by the [[Emancipation Proclamation]], which was signed by President [[Abraham Lincoln]]. Freedom, however, did not necessarily bring an improvement in conditions, as the system of [[sharecropping]] instituted after the end of the war left many ex-slaves in a continuing cycle of poverty. In large part as a result, many African Americans migrated in the early twentieth century to the northeastern and midwestern states, where they could find wage-paying jobs. |